'Twin Transition' - Strengthen your business with a digital and sustainable transition

Twin Transition

More and more entrepreneurs are becoming familiar with the concept of 'twin transition'. According to Ilse Briers, sustainable business advisor at Voka - Kvk Limburg, this is no coincidence. "New regulations, such as the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, require more and more organisations to report on the environmental, social and governance-related impact of their business activities. The twin transition refers on the one hand to how digital technologies are greening our economy and society, and on the other to the objective that this digital transition should itself be sustainable. A company that succeeds in this twin objective scores highly in terms of profitability, competitive advantage and employer brand."

Catching up

For the ACA Group, digital transformation and sustainability have long since ceased to be buzzwords. We guide companies and organisations in outlining and implementing a solid digital strategy. "During the corona crisis, many entrepreneurs discovered the potential of digital transformation," indicates Dorien Jorissen. "At the same time, they also increasingly see digital innovation as a lever towards sustainability. Where a company used to merely sell products or services, today we see a clear catch-up movement towards offering 'as a service'. This requires a change in the business model, with also a long-term vision in terms of, for instance, energy-efficient business and circularity."

Digital sharing

In that context, Ilse refers to the growing success of digital collaboration platforms, both among private individuals and businesses: "We notice that people themselves create other, more sustainable usage models via digital sharing. In a private context it's about exchanging tools or consumer goods, while in a business environment it's manufacturers exchanging residual materials, for example. This creates an interesting dynamic of green business, something that Voka is, by the way, fully facilitating with the 'From Waste 2 Profit' project."

"Flemish companies are too concerned with survival and not enough with innovation."

Long-term vision

ACA's clients - from healthcare institutions to financial players - eagerly use the IT consultant's expertise to help shape the path to twin transition. Dorien explains: "We guide our clients in digital transformation processes and new business models, from strategy to implementation. In doing so, we offer a wide range of products and services, from data solutions to cloud hosting and from customised software to expert training. We encourage every customer to actively think about a digital and sustainable long-term vision, at the expense of the delusion of the day and putting out ad hoc fires. Flemish companies are too much concerned with survival and too little with innovation that makes them agile and future-proof."

The importance of data

In plotting a successful twin transition, it is crucial to harness the full potential of internal and external (big) data. "Data is the basis for redefining and improving a business model," says Dorien. "Thanks to robust data quality management, complemented by data governance and real-time insights, among other things, you ensure that your organisation has a powerful data platform that can serve as a compass for developing sustainable digital innovations. And in this way, you pull out all the stops in terms of ROI, corporate reputation and employer brand."